"If we win those two games, I think the gym in the Second Round is going to be full of our fans and that is going to make the difference."

Bogdanovic is Croatia's leading scorer after their first two games in First Round Group, but also their most consistent player in terms of performance.

The 24-year-old Fenerbahce star is not comfortable with the role of the leader of the new generation of Croatia though.

"We have a lot of good players, so I don't think I am the leader of the team," he says, dismissing the label.

"I am just trying to play my best and take responsibility on the court, and we'll see who will be the leader in the end."

Representing a nation with such a rich basketball tradition as Croatia is a tall order for any player, not to mention the very special connotation that filling the shooting guard spot will always carry.

"I think that is where part of the problem is for us, that everybody is still living in the time of Drazen Petrovic," Bogdanovic says.